1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector device.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,363 discloses a connector device with first and second housings that are connectable with each other. The first housing is accommodated in a casing and the two housings are engaged by the entrance of the second housing into the casing from above. The first housing is displaced towards the second housing by a cam mechanism formed between the first housing and the casing. The two housings are connected properly by inserting the second housing completely into the casing. Accordingly, this connector device has a feature of turning approaching directions of the two housings by about 90° and setting the resulting directions as connecting directions of the two housings.
There is a demand to use a lever for assisting connection and reducing an operational load when a connector has many contacts. To meet this demand, a cam is provided in the second housing of the above-described connector and a lever is mounted rotatably in the casing. The lever has a cam receiving portion that is engageable with the cam.
A slide can be mounted in the casing at a position spaced from the center of rotation of the lever. The slide and the lever are configured so that forward and backward movement of the lever rotates the lever, even if the lever is at a position that is difficult to maneuver. However, the positions of the first housing and the slide relative to the casing can shift before starting connection of the two housings.
A testing apparatus may be required at an operation site for testing whether the slide is at the initial state. A slide that is not at the initial state will have to be pushed to the initial state at the operation site. Thus, there is a problem of being unable to start the connection of the two housings quickly.
The invention was developed in view of the above situation and an object thereof is to ensure good operability while performing a connector connecting operation and suppressing cost increase.